‘It’s sad’ – William Saliba opens up on Arsenal hunt for major trophy

The Football Faithful

·11 March 2025

‘It’s sad’ – William Saliba opens up on Arsenal hunt for major trophy

William Saliba believes Arsenal are on the precipice of winning a major trophy, but admits it will take a “big step” from the club.

The France international has been an instrumental cog in the Gunners’ strong defence in recent years, with the team boasting the best defensive record this season and last.

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But that has not been enough to land Arsenal their first piece of silverware since lifting the FA Cup in 2020, Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge, although they have won the Community Shield twice since then.

The Premier League title seems out of reach after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to 15 points. With the north London outfit out of both cup competitions, the Uefa Champions League appears to be their only route to glory this season.

William Saliba opens up on Arsenal hunt for major trophy

Saliba admitted it’s sad that Arsenal have not been able to get over the line, but is confident they will do so in the near future.

“I think we are very close, we need to keep going,” the centre-back said in a pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with PSV Eindhoven.

“We can’t stop working. When you’re close and don’t win trophies it’s sad, with work we will make a big step and I am sure we will arrive there.

“Everyone wants to win the Champions League, it’s a competition that’s hard to win, anything can happen.”

Arsenal hold a six-goal advantage over PSV after winning the away leg 7-1, all but assuring their place in the quarter-finals. If they are to win the competition for the first time in their history they will have to go through either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid in the next round.

“It’s a competition that we have a lot of enthusiasm for,” Arteta said. “We have been very consistent and tomorrow can put us in an exciting position.”

Read – Declan Rice vows Arsenal will ‘keep going’ as Premier League title dream dented